in memoriam

The Cal Poly Pomona community will celebrate the life of William “Bill” Hauser, a former mechanical engineering professor who had a passion for working with students. An event honoring his memory is scheduled Saturday, Dec. 2 from 11 a.m. to…

A champion for the equal treatment of all. A loving mother and grandmother. A dedicated employee of more than three decades. Christine Thomas, a one-time president of the Cal Poly Pomona chapter of the California State University Employees Union (CSUEU)…

Aureliano Sandoval Ruiz, a counselor who advocated for Latino students on campus and served as a mentor and advisor to youth, died Aug. 1 at his home in Riverside. He was 71. Ruiz served as a counselor in the Department…

Bonnita Farmer, a former professor and chair of the Department of Human Nutrition & Food Science, has died from complications from a fall. Farmer began teaching at Cal Poly Pomona in September 1979. In addition to teaching and serving as…

Anthony “Tony” Trozzi made friends everywhere on campus. As a member of the Distribution Services team for more than 22 years, Trozzi spent time getting to know the people who received deliveries of mail and packages. He often chatted with…

A dedicated former Learning Resource Center staff member, Laura Topalian coordinated the university’s Graduation Writing Test Preparation and test proctoring programs. She has died from complications related to heart disease and pneumonia. She was 84. Topalian worked at Cal Poly…

Kathleen Odenwald, who worked at Cal Poly Pomona for 16 years, died June 7. She was 75. Odenwald first worked as a University Police Department dispatcher from July 1998 to June 2000 before taking a position in Annual Fund, where…

Pat Lopez, a former equipment technician for the athletics and kinesiology and health promotion departments who worked with legendary coaches John Scolinos, Darlene May and Roman Gabriel, has died. He was 82. Lopez, a Korean War veteran, worked at Cal…

Julia “Julie” Besteeter Swartzendruber, who worked at Cal Poly Pomona for 30 years, died Jan. 5 after a battle with brain cancer. She was 68. During her career, the Alabama native served as the assistant to the University Library dean…

Anthropology Professor Kun Chen, whom colleagues describe as a dedicated mentor to her students and a pioneering researcher in her field, died in October after battling cancer. She was 36. Chen began teaching at Cal Poly Pomona in 2011, after…